It’s important to know when things might have changed that are out of your control; let’s say, for instance, that a page suddenly goes down, or that a page is defaced by someone who manages to hack into your site.

If the page is a commonly-accessed one, then it probably won’t be long until you hear about this intrusion, but if it’s a page that’s a little more hidden away, it could be days or even weeks before you notice it.

During that time, your site’s traffic might be suffering because of website changes you’re not aware of, and we’re not just talking about defacement; we’re also talking about broken links, out-of-date job postings, and more.

Whatever your reason might be for needing to monitor changes on your site, here are the 13 best website change detection and monitoring tools to use in 2024!

Visualping

For many, Visualping is essentially the first and last word in website monitoring. If you’re looking for a comprehensive tool that does just about everything you’d need when it comes to change detection, this is the app for you.

It’s a very simple tool: all you need to do is input a website’s URL and Visualping will display a screenshot of that website, prompting you to input an email address so that the tool knows where to send any potential changes.

You can compare visuals, text, and site elements, and set a number of other parameters to ensure that you don’t miss a single change that happens on your website.

Visualping is free if you just want to check five pages a day, but if you want to add more pages to that workload, then you’re going to need to upgrade to the Starter tier, which lets you track up to 25 pages a day and gives hourly alerts as well.

Distill

Distill’s Web Monitor app is available in a number of different formats. You can get it as a standard Windows or macOS desktop app, and you can also download browser extensions and smartphone apps if you prefer.

Using Distill, you can track entire pages or individual elements of pages for changes, and you can set parameters so that you exclude content you don’t want to track, which is ideal for pages with lots of different complex elements.

Workflows can be automated using JavaScript, and you can use protocols like CSS or XPATH to refine selections as well, giving you a greater degree of control over your website monitoring procedures.

Distill offers a number of individual pricing tiers if you want to upgrade its functionality, and you’ll also find an enterprise-based version with more features available if you need it.

Fluxguard

The big selling point when it comes to Fluxguard is that the app uses artificial intelligence to accelerate and escalate its web change detection systems.

In practice, this means that AI can tell you various things about a website’s changes, like a date change, minute wording changes, or alterations to facts and figures that could cause your site to rank lower on Google.

Fluxguard also offers a number of additional features like false positive filters, restricting alerts to particular keywords or elements, and creating personalised reports for team members to help them do their jobs more efficiently.

If you want an AI-powered web detection tool that isn’t going to let you down, then you’d definitely do well to look into using Fluxguard for all of your change monitoring and detection needs.

Crayon

Crayon is specifically focused on ensuring you know everything that’s going on in the world of your competition so that you can respond to it quickly and efficiently.

This means that the tool primarily revolves around tracking changes your competitors make to their websites and data, as well as their organisational structures and more.

Crayon will automatically send insights on your competitors to your inbox each morning so that you can make “battle plans”, and it also uses AI to sort insights in terms of importance, allowing you to focus on what matters.

This might not be the traditional web monitoring and change detection tool you need, but if you’re looking for something a little more competitive, Crayon is the app for you.

Versionista

Another excellent website monitoring and change tool, Versionista offers “regulatory and data intelligence at scale”, as the website itself proudly proclaims.

What does this mean in real terms? Well, like many other apps of its kind, Versionista will scan websites for changes and then alert you when any kind of change is detected. It boasts that it can even detect “subtle” changes using its advanced algorithms.

As well as the change detection itself, you’ll also receive detailed summaries that tell you exactly what’s been altered, as well as the chance to view the page’s history and a side-by-side comparison so you can see what’s new.

There’s a 7-day free trial available no matter which pricing tier you aim for, so you can decide whether or not Versionista is for you by using it for a little while before you commit.

Hexowatch

Like Fluxguard, Hexowatch is powered by AI, so its monitoring and change detection are enhanced by the capabilities that “your AI sidekick”, as the site describes it, will bring to the party.

Lots of different monitoring options are available with Hexowatch, including element, keyword, and visual-based monitoring, as well as tech, source code, and content-based options.

You can set how frequently you want to be alerted of changes to a website, and several different locations are available, meaning you don’t just need to monitor US-based websites. Change sensitivity is also a parameter you can control, so you don’t need to be alerted to every little change if you don’t want to.

Hexowatch is also refreshingly honest about its pricing scheme, offering 4500 checks per month as part of its $29-a-month Pro tier, with that number significantly increasing as you rise through the pricing ranks.

ContentKing

ContentKing describes itself as “the only SEO auditing solution that can monitor your web properties 24/7”, so if you’re looking to build an SEO-focused approach to web monitoring, this is the one to go for.

ContentKing will monitor your site exhaustively for changes, including broken links, removed headers, and missing page titles, as well as changes to content that could have serious effects on your site’s position in the Google rankings.

What’s more, ContentKing is entirely cloud-based, which means you don’t need to install an app if you don’t want to. All you need to do is access the service and you’re ready to check out the insights it provides.

Although its suite of tools is extensive, it’s fair to say that ContentKing is more geared towards agencies and small businesses than individuals, although it can still provide excellent services for lone rangers.

ChangeTower

ChangeTower’s extensive list of high-profile clients includes Disney, SiriusXM, IBM, and Accenture, just in case you needed an idea of what kind of level the company is operating on.

Features include the ability to monitor any URL you like, with source code, text, and visual snapshots all available for your perusal. ChangeTower will then track changes to that site based on the snapshots it provides.

You can decide what alert criteria you want to use, so if you don’t want ChangeTower to alert you to everything that changes about a website, you have options at your disposal.

A free version of ChangeTower is available, but it restricts you to just 6 checks a day. Upgrading to the Power User tier, which, at time of writing, costs just $9 per month (with a $90-per-year option also available), grants access to vastly more checks, so it’s worth considering if you’re into what ChangeTower is doing.

Wachete

Wachete, like many of its competitors, is a great web change detection and monitoring tool that will allow you to check for things like price changes, competition practices, and defacement.

It allows you to monitor not only single websites, but also entire portals and their sub-pages, so you can be notified of changes to pages within a hierarchy if you like.

Wachete will also work on password-protected pages, which is another service that most web change detection services offer, so you can still monitor those sites.

This app features a custom pricing slider that effectively acts as a tier choice, with the lowest tier allowing free access to the tool forever but restricting your usage to just 5 pages and 24-hour checks.

Site24x7

Site24x7 offers website monitoring, cloud and network solutions, and many more extra features, so it’s not just about tracking changes to websites.

Not only can you detect when websites are changed and defaced, but you can also detect changes to the performance of your site, so if it’s being particularly slow to load or if it’s down, you can be alerted to that fact quickly and efficiently.

This is a more technically-minded solution, so it also offers the chance to stay informed about SSL certificate expiration, as well as running queries against blocklists to ensure IPs and domains marked with the spam tag are kept at bay.

While Site24x7 is a tool more geared towards those who want to monitor website performance rather than content changes, it will still perform that task admirably, so check it out if you need something that’s more multi-faceted.

Sken.io

Monitoring website changes really couldn’t be simpler using Sken.io. All you need to do is input the site’s URL, choose a part of the page to monitor, and decide how often you want to check. It’s that simple!

You’ll then receive notifications whenever a part of that website changes, and you can choose whether you want to receive those notifications via email or mobile phone.

If you’re refreshing a page to check whether job offers are being uploaded, for instance, or making sure that you’re buying products at the lowest price available, then Sken.io is an essential tool.

It’s a little simpler than many of its competitors, but Sken.io’s pricing reflects that, with a basic pricing tier that costs just 3 euros per month and gives you access to 500 checks, which is perfect for smaller enterprises.

ManageEngine

The Applications Manager app, which is available as one of ManageEngine’s extensive suite of tools, allows you to monitor your website’s performance, as well as any content changes that might have happened.

It’ll also allow you to track changes to protocols like HTTPS, SOAP, and SMTP servers, so if you’re a webmaster and you need to make sure your site’s technical aspects are running smoothly, this is the tool for you.

ManageEngine also offers a massive suite of other tools that might be helpful for various other elements of your business, so keep it in mind if you’re looking for a more comprehensive solution to your operation’s day-to-day running challenges.

There are a lot of different apps and solutions available via ManageEngine, so pricing is often available on an individual basis depending on which software you want to use.

Kompyte

Much like Crayon, Kompyte’s biggest selling point is the ability to keep tabs on your competitors and find out what they’re doing, so it’s all about making sure you’re competitive in your industry.

Kompyte says it uses AI algorithms to “filter out the noise”, ensuring that you only get alerts for actionable updates and insights that could change your business in a meaningful way.

You’ll also receive so-called “battlecards” that contain pertinent information showing what your competitors have altered, and you can alter these battlecard templates so that they’re specific to your organisation.

Kompyte also offers in-depth analysis tools to show you important information regarding how you can use the software’s insights to make changes to your strategy and (hopefully!) close more sales.      

The post The 13 Best Website Change Detection And Monitoring Tools [2024] appeared first on iNet Ventures.

One of the areas in which AI is expected to have the most impact is customer service, and it’s not difficult to see why. For many years, entrepreneurs and businesses have wondered how to streamline this aspect of their business; it’s not easy to deal with customer requests, after all, especially when they begin to build in volume.

Luckily (or unluckily, if you’re a customer service professional), generative AI is here to stay, and it’s already reshaping the world of customer service to look very different to the way it used to. Here’s the role AI is playing in reshaping customer service and what it might mean for the future of this industry.

What do we mean by “generative AI”?

First, it might be helpful to define our terms. When we use the phrase “generative AI”, we mean AI programs like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, which use massive datasets and various methods to generate entirely new responses from the data they process.

In practice, this usually means that a chatbot like ChatGPT can give far more accurate and specific answers to questions than traditional searches can. That’s why Microsoft has moved to incorporate the GPT model into its Bing search engine, and why Google is currently experimenting with AI to augment its own search experience.

Alright, so what has this done to customer service?

There are many ways in which the customer service industry has already been impacted by advances in technology. These include better chatbots that are more able to answer customer queries, as well as more accurate predictions for customer issues, process automation, and more.

However, with the advent of generative AI, the customer service experience can be augmented even further. This is because AI can leverage the dataset it uses to learn in order to help customers answer hyper-specific queries, which current chatbots aren’t able to do effectively.

Let’s take an example. Imagine that a product is faulty. At the moment, a chatbot can only ask a customer to describe the problem, guessing roughly what the issue might be based on keywords present in the customer’s answer.

By using LLM (large language model) AI, however, chatbots can pinpoint a customer’s problem far more efficiently, then direct them to an effective solution quickly and easily. 

This technology can be further adapted by the customer service industry; in theory, by training LLM AI on customer service datasets, AI could learn to respond to common customer complaints, thus ensuring that bots can deal with much larger volumes of customer queries than is currently possible.

Why is AI seen as more efficient than human customer service?

The reasons that AI is being adopted across the industry are numerous. For instance, AI finds it much easier to read and absorb large datasets than humans do, which means it can collect and interpret information in a fraction of the time that humans can.

In addition, AI is often significantly cheaper than paying humans a salary, which is part of the reason that there is so much concern around whether AI will replace humans in the future and lead to mass unemployment.

Another reason that AI is often seen as “better” at handling customer support jobs than humans could be somewhat more compassionate. Humans often burn out when having to deal with large volumes of irate customer enquiries, and it’s also often the case that human customer support assistants are emotionally ill-equipped to deal with the brunt of a customer’s anger, despite the fact that this often happens.

AI, meanwhile, can do so without any issue; AI is incapable of feeling emotion as a human would, which means that it doesn’t matter how much a human customer berates it or shouts at it, the AI will never allow that behaviour to get “under its skin”, so to speak. AI, therefore, saves the emotional wellbeing of human employees, at least in theory.  

Is this already happening?

You bet it is. Earlier this year, UK energy company Octopus confirmed that 44% of all of its customer service emails are now being handled by generative AI processes rather than humans. 

Other companies confirmed to be using this technology for customer support purposes include the ecommerce platform Shopify, the social media giant Meta, and the marketing tool Canva, among others.

It’s fair to say that generative AI is very much here to stay in the customer service world, especially if its adoption by these massive companies is anything to go by (and it usually is, given that big business is often indicative of trends that have real staying power).

What are the issues around generative AI in customer support?

We’ve already discussed the fact that widespread unemployment is a potential point of concern when it comes to AI replacing human customer support employees. Of course, for companies, this won’t be an issue, as businesses are usually looking to save on costs, but for the employees themselves, this represents a massive threat to their livelihoods.

In addition, AI is not perfect. Generative AI models, no matter how smart they are, will often make mistakes. This is called “hallucinating”, and it can lead AI down strange rabbit holes that make little sense. Inaccurate or poorly-sourced information can often be provided in these cases, and this is especially dangerous when a human customer is on the receiving end of that information.

Of course, AI companies are working hard to try and combat hallucination wherever they can, but for the moment, it’s impossible for a company to solely rely on AI customer support without any human intervention. Given the speed at which AI is growing and changing the landscape, though, we don’t expect that to be the case for much longer.

The post The Role Of Generative AI In Reshaping Customer Service appeared first on iNet Ventures.

Games like Pokemon Go work on this principle, so if you’ve played and enjoyed that, then you’ve already seen the beginning of what AR has to offer. Of course, the advertising world hasn’t been idle when it comes to augmented reality either; the possibilities of AR advertising are limitless, and campaigns using this tech have already begun in earnest. Here are some of our favourite examples of augmented reality advertising!

Pokemon Go

Let’s begin with the example we just gave, shall we? Although Pokemon Go is a game in its own right, it’s also an excellent advertisement for the Pokemon brand, which remains, as far as we know, the highest-grossing media franchise in the world. 

By using your camera, you can scan for Pokemon around you; they might appear on the street in front of you, for instance, or inside a library where you’re studying. You can then catch them, use them to help you conquer Gyms for extra resources, and even battle them if you want.

Snap’s “City Painter” campaign

In October 2020, Snapchat parent company Snap introduced an AR advertising campaign by the name of City Painter. This campaign challenged participants to use their cameras in order to paint certain areas in London’s Carnaby Street, thereby creating a new shared-world experience.

This was the first of what Snap would call Local Lenses, a system the company would go on to adopt for its own AR initiative. City Painter was a fun, interactive way to get Snapchat users involved with AR, and a great way to teach them how the tech works as well.

StubHub’s Super Bowl experience

Technically speaking, this isn’t an advertising campaign, but we love the way StubHub used augmented reality to enhance the user experience, so we’re going to include it anyway. StubHub is a ticket site, and in 2018, it was selling tickets to the Super Bowl, which, if you’re unfamiliar, is one of the most popular sporting events in the world.

In order to ensure that ticket-buyers knew what they were getting into ahead of time and weren’t disappointed, StubHub introduced an AR 3D model of the stadium in which the Super Bowl was taking place. This enabled customers to see where they would be sitting and what they’d be able to see from the seat they were purchasing.

The Mandalorian

Critics and fans were divided on the merits (or otherwise) of the recent Star Wars sequel trilogy, but Disney’s The Mandalorian has proven a runaway hit, thanks in large part to its characters. Din Djarin, Grogu, and their supporting cast of lovable rogues have made audiences fall in love with them, and so to promote The Mandalorian’s second season, Lucasfilm and Disney created an augmented reality campaign that would bring the characters one step closer to their fans.

Using your smartphone camera, you could add The Mandalorian characters to your environment. They came complete with weather effects, too, so you could immerse yourself in the show’s world and pretend you were right there on Din and Grogu’s latest adventure. You could then take snapshots of those moments and show your buddies what you were up to.

IKEA Place

Did you know it’s pronounced “ee-kay-uh” and not “eye-key-uh”? Well, pronunciation aside, IKEA Place is one of the best examples of organic augmented reality advertising we’ve seen. When you’re buying furniture, what’s the one thing you want to be able to do? Visualise what it would look like in the space you’re putting it in, right?

That’s exactly what IKEA Place, which is currently only available on the iOS App Store, allows you to do. By using this app, you can add certain pieces of IKEA furniture to any space, allowing you to get a real idea of what that furniture would look like if you purchased it. This way, you can avoid any embarrassing mismatches or poor purchasing decisions.

Adidas try-on app

Just like furniture, it’s important to know what shoes are going to look like before you buy them. In 2019, Adidas introduced a brand new AR feature into its try-on app, allowing you to add whatever pair of Adidas trainers you were looking at to your feet without needing to actually go into a store and try them on.

The genius of this feature was that you could use it whether or not you were wearing shoes, which meant that you could easily try shoes on from the comfort of your own home or even when you were out and about. It’s easy to see how this could make purchasing decisions for trainers much, much easier for customers.

Pepsi’s bus shelter

Last but not least, if you walked down London’s Oxford Street in 2014, then you might well have seen this ingenious creation by Pepsi. The soft drink company hijacked a bus stop and built an augmented reality display into one of its sides, allowing for all kinds of crazy scenes.

Waiting at the stop, you might see a UFO flying overhead and abducting a hapless pedestrian, or you might see a massive robot careering towards you at high speed. This is a great example of how to implement a creative AR ad campaign that isn’t necessarily directly tied into your brand, but that increases awareness and impacts reputation nonetheless.

The post Beyond The Screens: Exploring Examples Of Augmented Reality Advertising appeared first on iNet Ventures.

If you’ve ever needed stock photos for any reason, you may well have encountered Pexels on your travels; it’s a great site, and many professionals and amateurs alike use it for a variety of different purposes.

However, there may come a time when Pexels just isn’t providing the service you require for some reason. Don’t despair; there are plenty of other options!

When it comes to finding a high-quality Pexels alternative, a number of factors are crucial.

Any great Pexels alternative must, for instance, have a wide variety of photos available. It must also have a smooth, easy download process, competitive pricing, and high-quality images.

Let’s take a look at some of the best options out there and help you find the Pexels alternative that’s right for you!

1. Unsplash

When it comes to the best Pexels alternative, Unsplash has to be on the list.

The site has tons of different pictures and renders across lots of different subjects, so whether you’re looking for a lonely lighthouse, a bustling city, or a jaw-dropping natural scene, you’ll find it on Unsplash.

Bear in mind, however, that Unsplash doesn’t have any videos; it’s a photo-focused site, so you won’t find any moving images here. However, if you’re looking for stills, this is probably the best Pexels alternative you’re likely to find.

2. Shutterstock

Shutterstock is one of the most comprehensive stock image and video sites on the internet right now.

Not only does it offer a huge range of photos and videos, but you’ll also find music, sound effects, and plenty of other elements you can use to transform your content into something truly special.

For some, Shutterstock might be just a little intimidating, so this might not be the ideal Pexels alternative if you want something simple and straightforward. Its content is top-notch, though.

3. Coverr

Coverr offers free stock videos that you can use in your projects, and it does a great job of doing so.

Naturally, thanks to the fact that Coverr’s selection is free, you might not find the same breadth of subject matter or style that you would on, say, Pexels or Shutterstock.

Despite that, though, Coverr is an excellent resource for creatives and professionals alike, and if you do want to contribute, there’s a premium tier available that removes ads from browsing and adds higher-quality options.

4. iStock

Describing itself as “the original stock content site”, iStock offers videos, photos, vector graphics, and illustrations aplenty.

Using its AI-powered search, you can easily and quickly pin down the kind of content you want and grab it without hassle, and there are a wide range of photos and videos up for grabs as well.

iStock doesn’t have a free tier, so you will need to pay a subscription fee or buy some credits for the content you use, but the quality on offer is without peer.

5. Flickr

Although it might sound like a social media platform, Flickr is, in fact, a stock image site.

Much like Unsplash, Flickr doesn’t offer any kind of video content, but it’s a more communal experience than you’re likely to find elsewhere in the stock world, making it a great Pexels alternative if you want more crowdsourced images.

That does mean the quality can vary a little, but if you know where to look (and Flickr’s excellent search facility will help you with that), you’ll find what you’re looking for.

6. VistaCreate

Are you looking for a tool that offers not only stock content, but also the software to help you make something from it? If so, VistaCreate is for you.

This is a holistic, comprehensive graphic design suite that includes lots of photos and other creative assets, as well as the templates to help you make them into something special.

It’s also very competitively priced, making it an ideal solution if you’re not too experienced in the graphic design world. 

7. Adobe Stock

For many years, Adobe has been a household name in software, so it stands to reason the company’s stock site would also be high-quality.

Indeed, that proves to be the case; Adobe Stock has lots of images, videos, and photos for you to use, and there’s a free 30-day trial available so you can see whether you like what’s on offer or not.

As with many other stock options, you can also choose to purchase credit packs if you’d prefer not to be beholden to a subscription.

8. Pixabay

With over 4 million images at your fingertips, Pixabay is a great Pexels alternative if you want to be spoiled for choice.

It’s not just pictures, either; you’ll also find videos and music on Pixabay, much of it contributed by the incredibly generous and talented Pixabay community.

Whether you’re after GIFs, vector graphics, videos, or any other creative element, the chances are you’ll be able to find it on Pixabay, so give it a look if you want a grassroots-style alternative to Pexels.

9. Storyblocks

Perhaps the most unique option on the list in terms of pricing, Storyblocks offers unlimited downloads rather than a pay-per-clip system.

You’ll need to opt for the $30-per-month Unlimited All Access subscription tier for this privilege, but once you do, you’ll get unlimited HD and 4K footage downloads, as well as plenty of photos, music, and even After Effects templates.

The content on Storyblocks is high-quality, too, so you’re getting the real deal.

10. Getty

We’ll level with you: Getty is definitely not for those who want a lower-cost stock image site.

This is one of the most highly-regarded professional stock image repositories in the world, and it’s used by organisations as diverse as the BBC, Bloomberg, and MLB, as well as Sony Pictures, UEFA, and many others.

You’re going to be paying a hefty premium for Getty, but if you’ve got money to burn and you want the best images around, then there’s no better alternative.

The post The Top 10 Pexels Alternatives [2024] appeared first on iNet Ventures.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, computers were still in their relative infancy, at least when compared to modern times. While computers were rapidly advancing in terms of power and speed, there were still many things that personal desktop computers couldn’t do, and the same was true of large-scale servers at big tech companies. The cloud was still a distant dream, and a lot of the processes on which old-school computers ran were somewhat archaic.

If you’re a computer scholar, you might well have heard the term “millennium bug” in your travels. You may also have heard this phenomenon referred to as the “Y2K problem”, with the Y2K in that name referring to the year 2000. At one stage, many computer scientists and enthusiasts were prophesying doom for the world thanks to the Y2K problem, and while that certainly didn’t come to pass in the end, there was a real sense of apocalyptic dread hanging over the world in 1999.

So, what exactly was the millennium bug? Why were so many people afraid of it? To answer that question, we have to go back in time to the 1960s and the time of the earliest computers (as we know them today, at any rate; there are arguments that computers were actually invented during the Islamic Golden Age, or at least that the groundwork was laid then). Specifically, we need to look at how computers processed the current date.

Prior to the 1990s, when computing arguably made a massive leap forward due to widespread adoption and wider availability for GUIs (graphical user interfaces), computers were often programmed with two-digit dates for the year. This meant that, for example, instead of programming a date as “1982”, a computer would simply refer to it as “82”. This was done to save memory, as early computers had just a fraction of the memory that even budget smartphones and tablets enjoy today.

Of course, if you’re following along, you’ll probably already have identified the potential problem in this method. While using this dating system is fine until we reach the new millennium, what happens when dates tick over to 2000? Scientists began to worry that computers would misinterpret the “00” at the end of 2000 as “1900” due to the way computers had calculated dates up to that point. Such a problem, said many, would be catastrophic in terms of the way computers handled data and could cause serious issues.

The obvious potential problem is that computers would simply think they’d jumped back 100 years, so they wouldn’t be able to keep up software processes that were designed to tick over yearly. One potential issue here would have been with banks and other financial facilities; computers were set up to make yearly predictions and projections, but they might not be able to do that if they suddenly thought they were in the year 1900. It’s easy to laugh at this now, but it was a real concern back then.

Another concern that many people didn’t think about was the fact that 2000 was a leap year, and that could have been a problem. After all, if the computer thinks it’s in 1900, it will ascribe a different number of days to the year than actually exist in 2000, which could cause all kinds of filing issues. Additionally, programmers often used strings of the number 9 to end programs, and since 1999 was the final year before 2000, there were worries this could cause computers to think programs were being prematurely terminated as well.

As you can imagine, efforts began around the world to ensure Y2K compliance for all major computer systems. This involved programmers working hard to change the way dates were calculated or to ensure that computers were protected against any potential failure as a result of the Y2K bug. A new US law was enshrined in 1998 that encouraged US companies to share information about their Y2K procedures, and in Britain, the government issued a not-at-all-ominous warning that their army would be ready to act if necessary.

In the end, these provisions either had the intended effect or weren’t necessary. The Y2K bug didn’t have anywhere near the kind of apocalyptic effect many had worried it would have. Some computer systems experienced minor errors, but the processes that governed the world remained operational, causing people around the globe to rejoice. It turned out that the Y2K bug wouldn’t be the end of our world after all, and either the scientists had done their work or there was no work to be done in the first place.

Accusations swiftly followed that the millennium bug was nowhere near the threat that it had been positioned to be. Those who had worked on Y2K compliance insisted that this wasn’t the case, and that they had averted disaster through their actions, but others said that no work had really been necessary to keep computer systems ticking over. All of this had an unintended benefit, though; many of the improvements made to computer systems in order to guard against the Y2K bug turned out to be useful in other areas, so all that work wasn’t for nothing, whether or not it actually did stave off Y2K disaster. 

The post Flashback: What Was The Millennium Bug? appeared first on iNet Ventures.

However, knowing which one of ClickFunnels’ many different templates to use can be difficult, especially since some of them require you to pay, and you don’t want to waste your money.

Rather than spending a long time browsing through ClickFunnels templates so you can pick the best one, we’ve put together a handy guide that will give you a look at some of the best options you’ve got in this regard.

Here are some of the best ClickFunnels templates we think you should use!

CONQUER Storefront Funnel

This is a confident, breezy ClickFunnels template that’s perfect if you’re launching some kind of inspirational book or guide for your industry.

The template leads with a featured product, then goes on to list several other products customers might be interested in. The featured product also has a preview blurb that gives you a chance to talk about what customers might like about the product.

Scrolling down, you’ll also find a slot for video guides where you can include video content if you wish. This template is bold, eye-catching, and great for adventurous or outdoorsy websites.

Ecommerce Multi-Product Tripwire Sales Funnel

This ClickFunnels template comes with its very own instructional YouTube video that tells you how to set it up, so there’s really no way to get the initial setup process wrong.

Rather uniquely, you can use this funnel to allow customers to buy several of your products without having to enter their payment information more than once, which could potentially generate lots more sales.

Though the template itself looks rather basic, it’s full of the kind of eye-catching material that often leads to great sales, and what’s more, it’s optimised for mobile, too.

Clean Modern Order Page To Confirmation

Sometimes, you want a ClickFunnels template that’s cleaner and less cluttered than many of the other websites you’re likely to see out there.

That’s where this template comes in. It’s simple and unadorned, making it perfect for more tech-oriented websites; if you want the product to speak for itself, this is the template you should use.

This template also includes an order confirmation page that’s thematically linked to the ordering process, showing customers they’ve made the right decision.

High End Event Application

Not all ClickFunnels templates are directly related to generating sales. Sometimes, for instance, you might want your site’s visitors to attend a particular event you’re hosting; a seminar, for instance, or a networking conference.

This template is ideal for that purpose. It presents a clear, concise environment for customers to simply input their details, whereupon they can request to attend the event.

If you’re hosting an event and you want attendance to be high, we’d heartily recommend this funnel template.

RippIn Summit Funnel

The RippIn Summit Funnel is full of incredibly visually arresting design that should make customers want to click through and see what you’re offering to them.

It’s got plenty of suggested copy, too, just in case copywriting isn’t your strong suit. You’ll also find areas where you can insert your own image and video links so that customers have a visual accompaniment to what they’re reading.

Further down, you’ll find places where users can input their contact info and order whatever it is you’re offering. This is a great template if you want your landing experience to be loud and immediately attention-grabbing.

Storefront Funnel :: GORDON

We’re big, big fans of this particular storefront template, which presents technologically advanced products (for instance) in an easy-to-read list format.

You’ll find a storefront, an order page, and an offer wall included in this funnel, and the examples given show what your products could look like if you opt for it. 

If you like professional-looking funnels that aren’t too needy but that still accomplish the purpose of making a user interested in what you have to offer, then this is the template for you.

Business Consultant Application Funnel

Do you think you’ve got what it takes to advise people on the best way to run their business, or on some other important element of corporate life? If so, then you’ll want to use this funnel.

Clean, professional, and high-quality, this is a great funnel for when you want to look serious about all things business. Rather amusingly, the funnel page chooses to use the fictional business persona “Brian Capital” for its advertising, too, which is a nice touch.

The funnel has something of an air of political engagement about it as well, so it’s perfect for any businessperson with more of an agenda than a traditional consultant might have.

Acti-Labs

Beauty and health websites also need funnels to help customers convert, and that’s where templates like Acti-Labs come in. 

This template is great for showing customers a product that will empower them or enhance their physical or mental health, thanks to its blue-sky banner and funky font selection.

It comes complete with an opt-in and video sales page, and it’s also got a template through which you can offer customers the chance to try your product before they buy it, which is often considered an essential part of the beauty sales process. In short, this is the best ClickFunnels template we’ve found for the beauty and health industries.

The post The Best ClickFunnels Templates appeared first on iNet Ventures.

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Terms and conditions can help customers to understand the ins and outs of the service you’re offering, and they can also be a good place to put fairly boring, dry legal information that people can therefore access if they want to.

Depending on where you’re located, it may or may not be a legal requirement to display some of the information that terms and conditions would usually contain, so if you’re asking the question “does my website need terms and conditions?”, the answer might be a little more complex than you’d imagine.

Here’s our breakdown of whether you need terms and conditions on your website, and why it might be a good idea to include them even if you don’t think you need them.

It’s not a legal requirement to display terms and conditions

First, let’s answer the question on a technical basis: does my website need terms and conditions?

In the UK, at least, it isn’t actually a legal requirement to put terms and conditions on your website.

Technically speaking, you don’t need a section on your site marked “terms and conditions”, so if you don’t have one, you can potentially breathe a sigh of relief.

However, the actual realities of this situation can be a little more complex, so you might want to hold off on walking away without worrying about your terms and conditions section.

Some information must legally be displayed on your site

Although “does my website need terms and conditions?” can technically be answered with “no”, there is certain information that you’re legally required to display on your site.

You can see this information on the government’s website as part of the Electronic Commerce Directive Regulations, which were drafted in 2002.

Depending on the nature of your website, you may be required to disclose your name, your geographic address, and your location of registration, as well as a number of other details.

Certain businesses must also display other information, so make sure you’ve thoroughly researched what your business is legally required to display before you pass on a terms and conditions section.

The benefits of including a terms and conditions section

Having a T&Cs section on your website is a good idea for a number of reasons.

First, you’ll reduce your potential number of legal headaches or challenges if you have a terms and conditions section, wherein you can place all of the important information that you’re legally required to display.

If this information is difficult to access or it’s not clear where customers can find it, then you may be subject to lawsuits or legal complaints, and even if you can successfully defend yourself in court, it would obviously be better not to end up there in the first place.

There’s no set rule regarding what should be in your terms and conditions section, but domain site GoDaddy lists three core elements you should include if you’re going to write T&Cs. They are as follows.

• Limitation of liability. This section refers to disavowing responsibility for website errors, as well as ensuring that customers know you’re not responsible for the content of comments or customer feedback. This will ensure that lawsuits can’t be filed against you for derogatory or defamatory language if a customer comment contains such content.
• Permitted use. If you’ve spent ages on your graphic design and you’re particularly proud of how your website looks, then the permitted use section will come in handy. This is where you tell other companies or users that they can’t simply appropriate your logo or any of your business assets for their own purposes. Copyright is also often part of this section.
• Privacy policy. If you’ve got an ecommerce site, then your business might collect information from customers. The privacy policy section is where you set out what happens to that information and how you use it. It’s also where customers can go to see how their data is being protected and what you’re doing to ensure their privacy and anonymity remains intact online.

How to write a good terms and conditions section

When you’re embarking on writing your first terms and conditions section (or, indeed, the latest in a string of them), you should ensure that you follow best practices. We’re not legal consultants by any means, but here are some of the general tips we would tend to advise when writing terms and conditions.

• Seek professional legal advice. You may find terms and conditions generators online, and you may also find that you want to try and write them yourself, but the best thing you can do is to seek professional legal advice. This will ensure that your terms and conditions are as airtight as possible and that you haven’t made any major errors.
• Don’t copy your T&Cs from elsewhere. Your site will differ from another site in lots of different ways, and so copying and pasting another site’s T&Cs while replacing their company name with yours is generally a bad idea.
• Notify customers if you change your T&Cs. It’s technically not a legal requirement to notify users when you change your T&Cs, but making big changes and not informing customers could have serious legal ramifications, so if you write a set of terms and conditions and then make changes to them, you should always make sure you inform your users in some way.

The post Drafting Your Website’s Blueprint: The Need For Terms And Conditions appeared first on iNet Ventures.

One such app is ClickFunnels, which describes itself as a service for people who are “struggling to get a constant flow of customers”.

ClickFunnels’ website is full of excited marketing speak and user testimonials, but amongst the buzz, it can be hard to figure out exactly what ClickFunnels actually does and why it might be useful for your website.

Here’s a rundown of what ClickFunnels is, its step-by-step process, and whether or not you should consider implementing it for your business.

ClickFunnels in a nutshell

While the term “sales funnel” might sound like an actual element of a website or business, the fact is that it’s essentially a marketing buzzword.

The funnel is a way to refer to the customer journey on an ecommerce site, say; it’s the whole process customers go through when they’re buying a product, from seeing your marketing all the way through to actually making a purchasing decision.

That’s where ClickFunnels comes in.

The service itself describes the funnel as “kinda like a bridge” that attracts customers from social media, search engines, and other places, directing them into your online store.

ClickFunnels offers various different kinds of sales funnels, including lead funnels, conversion funnels, and webinar funnels.

Whatever you want customers to do, ClickFunnels promises to help you. The service says each funnel is “like a new road that leads back to your website and your store”.

Funnels on ClickFunnels are basically pre-built “story” templates

A quick browse of ClickFunnels’ template marketplace shows a number of different funnels that you could potentially incorporate into your own website.

This shows that sales funnels are effectively pre-worked website designs that are supposedly effective at attracting and retaining customers for different customer journeys.

There are lots of different types of template available on ClickFunnels’ website, and they’re all geared towards a different type of funnel.

ClickFunnels says that its sales funnels are used by over 100,000 “active businesses” each day, and that 1% of ClickFunnels users manage to generate at least $1,000,000 using a funnel.

It’s not just funnels

ClickFunnels doesn’t just offer funnels, whatever the name may imply.

The service is also a one-stop shop for many other aspects of the customer journey, including a website builder, a blog tool, and automated marketing workflows.

Other features currently in the works for ClickFunnels (at time of writing) include an ecommerce store builder, a shopping cart tool, and a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system, so it looks like ClickFunnels is hoping to compete with Shopify.

Why should you use ClickFunnels?

Many businesses will often use multiple tools across the customer journey, with each tool controlling or monitoring a different element.

Naturally, this can feel like an inefficient approach, and that’s where ClickFunnels shines.

It promises to collect all of the different aspects of the customer journey under one umbrella, allowing you to control the entire process without needing multiple disparate pieces of software.

You can create funnels, make a great-looking website, and set up a blog all from the same tool, which should give your website a unified feel and stop it from feeling unfinished or unfocused.

As for why you should use sales funnels, they’re generally regarded as an important part of the customer journey.

Generating sales and leads online can be significantly more difficult for businesses than it is in person.

After all, when you’re in conversation with someone about buying something, you can hold their gaze and use body language to more effectively communicate the benefits of a sale.

However, when a customer is online, they hold significantly more sway over their purchasing decision; they can simply choose to leave the website whenever they like, and the sale can fall through at any moment.

Sales funnels, like those offered by ClickFunnels, promise to increase the chances that a sale will continue through to a purchase, since they’re specifically designed to lead customers down a specific path.

What are the pros and cons of ClickFunnels?

There are benefits and drawbacks to using ClickFunnels, or, indeed, any lead-generating service. Here are some of those pros and cons.

Pros

• Makes the sales process easy. Creating and maintaining sales funnels and sales pages can be very difficult, and ClickFunnels makes this process relatively straightforward.
• Advanced analytics. Once you’ve put your page in place, ClickFunnels can help you track whether it’s working and redirect your efforts towards generating better sales or leads.
• Free trial. You don’t need to pay for ClickFunnels immediately; you can try the service out to see if you like it before you make a commitment.

Cons

• Expensive. ClickFunnels is far from the cheapest service of its kind out there, and if you look around, you can easily find something that’ll cost less.
• Not very customisable. While ClickFunnels does have some customisation options for its templates, it’s less powerful than some of its competitors.
• Might look generic. Using templates is a good idea if you don’t have a lot of experience creating funnels, but it might also mean that your site looks like everyone else’s sites.

Are there any alternatives to ClickFunnels?

Naturally, ClickFunnels isn’t the only service out there offering pre-built sales funnels for your website.

Other services include Instapage, which is significantly more expensive but perhaps slightly more sophisticated, and Leadpages, which is great for businesses or individuals on a stricter budget.

The fact is that if you don’t like ClickFunnels for whatever reason and you shop around, you’ll find plenty of alternatives, but that should just go to show how important it is to incorporate sales funnels for your site.     

The post What Is ClickFunnels? appeared first on iNet Ventures.

Statistics show that Tumblr enjoys around 370 million monthly visits from users, and so its user base appears to be strong, with an active and engaged community often discussing everything from the latest media to fanfiction and everything in between.

One of Tumblr’s most useful features is the ability to create polls, which allow users to vote on matters of import (or, let’s face it, whether or not they prefer dogs, cats, or some other kind of exotic pet, for instance).

However, the way in which you create Tumblr polls isn’t particularly transparent. It can be hard to know how to make polls on Tumblr, so we’ve put together a handy guide to help you do just that.

How to make polls on Tumblr

Despite what you might think, making polls on Tumblr is actually pretty simple. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

On the web

This guide is for when you’re using Tumblr’s web post editor rather than a mobile app. We’ll discuss how to create Tumblr polls on mobile apps shortly.

• Open up the post editor. Once you’re looking at a screen that says “Go ahead, post anything.” or something similar, you’re in the right place. There, you should see a range of coloured icons, including a red one for photos, a yellow one for inserting GIFs, and a purple one for audio clips, among others. 
• Click the orange icon that looks like a bulleted list. Along that coloured row, you should see an icon that looks like a list. There will be two bulleted options with a ticked option in the middle. That, believe it or not, is the “poll” option, so that’s the one you want to click.
• Create a poll title. If you want people to see your poll, you should make sure your title is eye-catching. Whatever you want to ask people about, try to think of the best and most compelling way to phrase that question, then make that the heading of your poll.
• Fill in your poll options. Tumblr polls can have a minimum of two different options and a maximum of ten, so fill out your poll options depending on how many you want. Remember to make these options eye-catching as well!
• Choose a poll duration. How long do you want this poll to remain online? You can either have the poll remain for a single day or for a whole week, so if you want to get a more longitudinal look at how your network feels about a certain issue, make sure to pick the lengthier poll option.
• Add other content and tags. If there’s anything else you want to add to your poll, or if you want to add tags to increase the poll’s visibility or just better express its intent, then make sure to do that.
• Post or schedule your poll. You can either instantly post the poll, or you can schedule it to go out at a certain time. Either way, that’s that – it really is that simple to post Tumblr polls!

On mobile

Posting polls on Tumblr is, as you might expect, slightly different on mobile. Here’s our step-by-step guide on how to post polls on Tumblr if you’re using the mobile app.

• Tap the poll icon. The bar that contains all of the different content you can add to a Tumblr post will look quite similar on mobile to how it does on desktop, but there will be slight differences. However, the poll icon is the same one, so just tap that when you see it.
• Follow the above process for the web. Other than this initial step, everything else you do to create a Tumblr poll on mobile is exactly the same as it would be on the web, so just follow the above procedure in order to create your poll. You may find that the moment-to-moment mechanics are different, but you should be able to complete your poll with no problems.

How to vote in a Tumblr poll

So, we’ve talked you through how to create a Tumblr poll, but now, how do you vote in one you’ve seen? Well, this is pretty simple as well.

All you need to do to vote in a Tumblr poll is simply click the option for which you want to vote. That’s really it! If you’re on mobile, you should tap the option you want.

After you’ve voted, you’ll also be able to see which option is currently the most popular, and what percentage of respondents have opted for each item in the poll. This is handy for knowing whether or not you’re going with majority opinion.

Other things to know about Tumblr polls

Here are a few other miscellaneous facts about Tumblr polls that you should know.

• The character limit for poll items is 80, so don’t exceed this number.
• You can’t officially customise poll appearance on a desktop theme, but there are unofficial workarounds, as highlighted by Tumblr on its official FAQ page.
• You can’t edit a poll once it’s out there, but you can edit the post on which the poll appeared, and you can delete it if you wish.
• Once the poll is up, you’ll be able to see who won and what percentage they won with!

The post Your Guide On How To Make Polls On Tumblr appeared first on iNet Ventures.

Whether it’s fear over jobs being lost or excitement regarding the kinds of innovations AI could bring to the tech space in the future, it’s fair to say that Silicon Valley and the wider tech sphere are buzzing about the implications this technology might have.

However, along with the excitement, there’s also a palpable sense of worry, especially among some more sceptical observers who believe that AI could have far-reaching ramifications, and that those ramifications could be difficult to walk back once they’re in motion.

Perhaps one piece of evidence to this effect is an upcoming (at time of writing) policy change implemented by Google for its Product Ratings policies.

This change alters Google’s Product Ratings system in order to clarify certain elements of the policy and emphasise various aspects of its operation, as well as to add a brand new policy that specifically focuses on AI.

Let’s take a look at what’s changed in the latest Google Product Ratings policy shift, which comes into effect on August 28th!

A new Automated Content policy has been added

The biggest and most obvious change to the Product Ratings policies is the addition of a brand new clause.

Marked “Automated Content”, the policy points to automated programs or “artificial intelligence application[s]” generating reviews for products.

Google outright disallows reviews on this basis, and if you manage to identify a review in your feed that was generated by an automated program, then you should mark it with the “<is_spam>” attribute so that Google can take appropriate action.

This is likely to prevent products getting false or spurious reviews in order to bolster their status; if an AI or automated program has generated a review, then it’s easier for that review to be faked in order to artificially boost a product’s rating.

More guidance is being provided on enforcement

As well as adding a new Automated Content policy, Google is also adding “more guidance on how we enforce our policies”.

Google says it uses a combination of humans and automation to ensure that content and reviews are policy-compliant, and that automated enforcement uses machine learning algorithms in order to “protect our merchants and users”.

However, when a case becomes more complicated or severe, it’s passed on to human workers who perform evaluations that machines might struggle with due to a requirement for understanding context.

This means that if you’ve got a Product Ratings case that’s particularly difficult, it’s likely to be passed on to a human team, so don’t worry; your livelihood isn’t entirely in the hands of machines and AI.

Google also wants to reiterate that it takes action on “content and reviews that violate our policies”. 

This action could include rejecting reviews that violate policies, as well as “issuing warnings or suspending accounts” if those accounts repeatedly violate policy or do so in a particularly extreme fashion.

In addition, Google says that when an image is flagged for policy violation, the associated review will also be blocked.

Google is clarifying its existing policies as well

The existing policies that are already in place for Product Ratings are also being clarified in the latest policy change.

There’s a whole range of content that will be flagged if it’s submitted as part of a review, including illegal or dangerous content, sexually explicit material, and links to malware or harmful software.

Other contravening content in reviews includes off-topic information, impersonating another user, or infringing on intellectual property rights.

It’s clear that Google takes its policy towards Product Ratings very seriously, and this policy change is not only intended to update the policy but also to remind users that its enforcement is ongoing.

What do these changes mean?

If you’re a page owner and you want to know what these changes mean for you, the answer is “it depends”.

Generally speaking, the change should be positive. The addition of a new clause forbidding AI or program-generated reviews means that you should now only see human-written reviews for your business.

However, if you’ve been using a program to generate fake AI reviews for your business, then you may find that this is going to get much more difficult in future (and rightfully so, arguably).

Google’s changes are likely aimed at creating a more reliable and less saturated environment for Product Ratings; if Google can’t be seen to be a reliable space for reviews, then its trustworthiness will go down, which will in turn make it a less valuable business on the whole.

These policy changes speak to a wider worry that AI-generated content could overwhelm and saturate the internet, thus making much of the content available online much less valuable to human users.

It’s not likely that these policy changes are the last we’ve heard of companies trying to protect both themselves and their users against the implications of a swarm of AI-generated content flooding the internet.

In the case of product reviews, a preponderance of AI-generated ratings could mean that businesses and products don’t receive fair ratings from humans who’ve actually used their services, which would also mean that any reviews you read online of a product or service are essentially meaningless.

As AI and generative models improve, we can expect to see more of these kinds of policy changes being implemented. We’ll have to wait and see what else Google does to reduce the likelihood of AI spam taking over product reviews in future.
In the meantime, you can read all about the new policy change via Google’s official announcement post, and you can see the current policies here.  

The post AI And Google’s Product Ratings: A Comprehensive Guide To The Latest Policy Changes appeared first on iNet Ventures.